1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a connector.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, a connector including: a pair of connector housings; a fitting portion which is provided to one of the connector housings of the pair of the connector housings and receives a terminal; and a fitted portion which is provided to the other connector housing, allows the fitting portion to be fit with, and receives a mating terminal that can be fit with the terminal, has been known (refer to JP H6 (1994)-111882 A).
In this connector, the fitting portion of one of the connector housings has an outer housing as a frame to which a fixed terminal holder is provided, and a movable terminal holder as a movable housing which is arranged movably in a fitting direction of the connector housing in the outer housing.
Further, the movable terminal holder is latched temporarily in a state of preceding the fixed terminal holder of the outer housing in the fitting direction of the connector housings. Thus, if the pair of the connector housing are fit with each other, after the movable terminal holder, prior to the fixed terminal holder, completes the fitting with the fitted portion of the other connector housing, the fixed terminal holder completes the fitting with the fitted portion of the other connector housing.
As described above, by varying the timings to complete the fitting of the outer housing and the movable connector housing, fitting force of the pair of the connector housings can be dispersed, thereby coping with the multipolarization of the terminal and the like that are received in the connector housings.
By the way, in the connector as described in JP H6-111882A, the movable housing is temporarily latched into the frame by: a lock aim that is flexurally provided to the movable housing; and a latching projecting portion provided to the frame that is engaged with this lock arm.
This engagement between the lock arm and the latching projecting portion is released by the flexing of the lock aim which is caused by a releasing portion provided to the fitting portion, when the fitting portion and the movable housing are fit with each other.
However, during the fitting of the fitting portion and the movable housing, beside the fitting force caused by sliding of the fitting portion and the movable housing, fitting force caused by fitting of the terminal and the mating terminal is applied, so that these fitting forces are applied to an engaging portion between the lock arm and the latching projecting portion.
When the lock arm is flexed by the releasing portion from this state, the fitting forces that were applied to the engaging portion with the latching projecting portion are released at once, whereby the lock arm sometimes snaps the latching projecting portion so as to generate noise.
Such generation of noise may cause false recognition that the pair of the connector housings is fit with each other completely, so that there is a risk of allowing the pair of the connector housings to remain in an incomplete fitting state.